Illuminated photo display box

ABSTRACT

A photographic display box is formed as an enclosure with a plurality of display faces and opposing ends. A plurality of photographs are located within the enclosure and between the ends and behind the display faces of the box. Retainers within the box hold the photographs with their longitudinal edges parallel to each other and with their transverse, upper and lower edges flexed in a concave disposition facing outwardly toward the display faces of the box. The photographs are located between transverse upper and lower transparent or translucent panels. Electrical illumination fixtures located in illumination cavities between these panels and the ends of the display box shine upon the concave faces of the photographs through the nonopaque panels with direct illumination.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a photographic display device in the form of a box in which photographs are mounted for viewing from the exterior and in which the photographs are illuminated by direct lighting from within the box.

[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0004] In conventional practice photographs are typically stored in a photographic album having a number of pages held between front and back covers. The photographs are mounted on or in the pages of the album. While this system for storing photographs is quite acceptable in some situations, photographic albums are often not readily accessible and are sometimes inconvenient to locate. People often like to have a few of their favorite photographs openly displayed on their desktops, the tops of their bookshelves, and other locations where they can be viewed more readily.

[0005] Other systems for photographic storage and display have been devised. For example, photo cubes have been developed whereby up to six photographs are positioned on the faces of a cubical display. The photographs are then readily visible for observation. However, oftentimes the light for viewing the photographs is insufficient and it is very difficult to make out the details in the photographs to the satisfaction of the viewer.

[0006] One attempt to remedy this deficiency has been to place a light within the center of the box and illuminate the photographs from behind. That is, the light in the center of the box shines through the photographic paper upon which the photos are printed. This system is largely unsatisfactory, since most photographs are printed on paper that is too thick to allow the transmission of a light unless an inordinately strong bulb is utilized as the light source. A high wattage lightbulb usually generates a relatively large amount of heat which can damage the photographs. Also, even if the light does pass through the photographic paper, the illumination at the face of the photograph is unsatisfactory. This is because the lighter areas on the photographs will allow the transmission of more light through the photographic paper than the darker areas. Consequently, the darker areas on the photographs are illuminated to a lesser extent than the lighter areas, when exactly the opposite effect is desired.

[0007] Of course it is possible to illuminate photos in a photographic display box by positioning an exterior light source near the photo display box and shining that source upon the photos displayed in the box. However, a convenient, portable external illumination source is not always readily at hand. Furthermore, when such an external source is positioned to properly illuminate the photos it often obstructs the view of the observer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] It is an object of the present the invention to provide a photographic display box wherein a plurality of photographs can be seen in open display under direct illumination from a light source located within the display box. The photographic display device of the invention allows a user to have at hand a few of his or her favorite photographs on a desktop, book shelf top, table, or some other easily visible location and to easily view those photographs under proper lighting.

[0009] Another object of the invention is to provide a photo display box with a self-contained source of illumination that provides direct lighting upon the faces of the photos without requiring the use of an external light source. Moreover, the source of illumination in the photo display box of the invention is positioned in such a manner so as to avoid interfering with the line of vision of the observer.

[0010] In one broad aspect the present invention may be considered to be a display box for displaying at least one opaque sheet of visual material having at least one display face, at least one sheet retainer for holding the opaque sheet of visual material facing concave outwardly from the display face relative to a longitudinal axis of alignment of the sheet of visual material relative to the display face, and at least one light source located longitudinally beyond the sheet of visual material and between the sheet of visual material and the display face to thereby shine upon the sheet of visual material.

[0011] In one preferred embodiment of the invention the display box may be an enclosure shaped in the form of a rectangular prism that defines sides forming four display faces of the type described, and ends extending laterally and transversely between the sides. Four separate sheets of visual material are employed, each of which is rectangular in shape. Each sheet of visual material has mutually parallel longitudinal side edges and opposing end edges.

[0012] A retainer is provided for each of the sheets of visual material. The retainer holds the longitudinal edges of a sheet of visual material parallel to each other and at a straight line distance of spaced separation from each other that is less than length of the end edges. In this way the end edges of the sheets of visual material are held in a curved condition facing concave outwardly. Usually the retainers hold the sheets of visual material at a uniform arc of curvature between the ends of the enclosure. The invention has particular utility when the sheets of visual material are photographs.

[0013] Preferably, the display box of the invention is comprised of a pair of light sources, one at each of the ends of the enclosure. Transparent or translucent panels extend between the display faces and all of the end edges of the sheets of visual material.

[0014] In another aspect the invention may be considered to be a visual material display box forming an enclosure and having at least one display face. Orthogonal longitudinal, lateral and transverse directions are defined for each display face. The visual material display box is further comprised of a two-dimensional, opaque display sheet, a display sheet retainer for holding the display sheet behind the display face. At least one end of the display sheet is curved concave relative to the display face. The display box is further comprised of at least one light source located beyond at least one end of the display sheet or sheets in a longitudinal direction and between the at least one concave end of the display sheet or sheets and the display face in a transverse direction. As a result, the light source shines directly upon the display sheet.

[0015] In still another aspect the invention may be considered to be a photograph display box comprised of an enclosure having a plurality of display faces and opposing ends. A plurality of opaque photographs are located within the enclosure. Each photograph has mutually parallel longitudinal edges and end edges oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal edges. The photographs are located behind the display faces and have display surfaces facing outwardly toward the display faces. Photo retainers hold the longitudinal edges of the photographs closely adjacent to the display faces. The retainers hold the photographs spaced apart from each other so that the straight line distance between the photo retainers is less than the length of the end edges of the photographs. Consequently, the printed display surfaces of the photographs are bowed in a concave outwardly facing orientation.

[0016] At least one light source is disposed in at least one of the ends of the enclosure beyond the longitudinal edges of the photographs. The light source is located between the printed display surfaces of the photographs and the display faces of the enclosure. As a result, the light source directly illuminates the display surfaces of the photographs.

[0017] The invention may be described with greater clarity and particularity by reference to the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one preferred embodiment of a visual display box according to the invention.

[0019]FIG. 2 is a sectional elevational view of the display box of FIG. 1.

[0020]FIG. 3 is a sectional plan view of the display box taken along the lines 3-3 of FIG. 2.

[0021]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a visual material display box according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT

[0022]FIG. 1 illustrates a display box 10 according to the invention. The display box 10 forms an enclosure that is shaped as a rectangular prism. The display box 10 has four outwardly facing rectangular sides which are display faces 20, 22, 24, and 26. The display faces a 20, 22, 24, and 26 all have the same dimensions and are all oriented in a vertical disposition. Each of the display faces is oriented at right angles relative to the nearest adjacent display faces. The display faces 20, 22, 24, and 26 extend vertically between a square, flat bottom end 28 and a square, flat top end 29. The ends 28 and 29 extend laterally and transversely completely across the enclosure of the photo display box 10 between the sides forming the display faces 20, 22, 24, and 26.

[0023] The display box 10 holds four sheets of opaque, visual material, which are photographs 12, 14, 16, and 18. Each of these photographs 12, 14, 16, and 18 has mutually parallel longitudinal side edges 30 and 32 and opposing mutually parallel top and bottom end edges 34 and 36, respectively, which intersect the longitudinal edges 30 and 32 at right angles. The photographs 12, 14, 16, and 18 are thereby each rectangular in shape.

[0024] Longitudinal, lateral, and transverse directions are defined with respect to each of the display faces 20, 22, 24, and 26. The longitudinal direction for all of the display faces may be considered to be the direction perpendicular to the bottom and top ends 28 and 29. The lateral axis may be considered to be the direction perpendicular to the mutually parallel, longitudinal side edges of each display face forming the vertical edges of the display box 10, while the transverse axis may be considered to be the axis perpendicular to the plane of each display face. In the embodiment of the display box 10 illustrated in FIG. 1, the orthogonal longitudinal, lateral, and transverse directions for the display faces 20 and 24 are indicated as Y, X, and Z, respectively. The orthogonal longitudinal, lateral, and transverse directions for the display faces 22 and 26 are indicated as Y, Z, and X, respectively.

[0025] As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3 each of the display faces 20, 22, 24, and 26 of the display box 10 is provided with a relatively large, square, central viewing opening 40, which may have dimensions of three inches by three inches. The display faces 20, 22, 24, and 26 thereby frame the photographs 12, 14, 16, and 18, respectively. The photographs 12, 14, 16, and 18 are visible to an observer located to the side of the display box 10 who looks through the viewing openings 40.

[0026] The lateral extremities of the display faces 20, 22, 24, and 26 meet at right angles relative to mutually adjoining display faces and form upright, concave inwardly facing, angle-shaped retaining posts 42. At its center the display box 10 is provided with a retainer core 44 shaped generally as a rectangular tube having upright, rectangular shaped support faces 46 that meet at their mutually adjoining vertical edges.

[0027] At each of the corner interfaces of the support faces 46 there is a vertically oriented, outwardly directed retaining flange 48 that extends toward and contacts the inwardly facing surfaces of the retaining posts 42 at the vertical junctions between the mutually adjacent display faces. The structures of the junctions between the flanges 48 of the retainer core 44 and the upright retaining posts 42 serve as photo retainers that hold the longitudinal edges 30 and 32 of the photographs 12, 14, 16, and 18 closely adjacent to their respective display faces 20, 22, 24, and 26. The photo retaining structures formed by the retaining flanges 48 and the retaining posts 42 also hold the longitudinal edges 30 and 32 of each photograph spaced apart from each other so that the straight line distance between the photo retainers, that is the vertical junctions at which the flanges 48 contact the support posts 42, is less than the length of the end edges 34 and 36 of the photographs 12, 14, 16, and 18.

[0028] Since the support posts 42 are parallel to each other the longitudinal edges 30 and 32 of the photographs 12, 14, 16, and 18 are held parallel to each other throughout their lengths. As a consequence, the photographs 12, 14, 16, and 18 are bowed in a concave outwardly facing orientation with both ends of each photograph curved concave outwardly in the same shape. Each photograph is thereby held curved concave outwardly at a uniform arc of curvature throughout its length, as best illustrated in FIG. 3.

[0029] Within the display box 10 there are two flat, rectangular transversely and laterally extending, transparent panels 50 and 52. The transparent panels 50 and 52 extend across the expanse of the enclosure of the photo display box 10 between the display faces 20, 22, 24, and 26. The upper transparent panel 50 rests atop the retainer core 44 and extends transversely past the support faces 46 to meet the interior surfaces of the display faces 20, 22, 24, and 26. An upper illumination fixture cavity 54 is thereby defined within the enclosure of the display box 10 above the transparent display panel 50 and beneath the top end 29.

[0030] The lower transparent panel 52 is located parallel to and slightly above the bottom end 28 of the display box 10. The lower transparent panel 52 extends to and meets the interior surfaces of the display faces 20, 22, 24, and 26, and is either supported from beneath by spacers resting upon the bottom end 28 or secured directly to the interior surfaces of the display faces 20, 22, 24, and 26 as, for example, by an adhesive. The means of attachment is conventional. In any event, a lower illumination fixture cavity 56 is defined within the enclosure of the display box 10 between the bottom end 28 and the transparent panel 52. The retainer core 44 rests atop the lower transparent display panel 52.

[0031] It can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 that the transparent panels 50 and 52 located within the confines of the display box 10 extend in a horizontal direction from all of the display faces 20, 22, 24, and 26 to all of the end edges 34 and 36 of the photographs 12, 14, 16, and 18. The transparent panels 50 and 52 extend from the retainer core 44 outwardly and into contact with the display faces 20, 22, 24, and 26 beyond the concave centers of the photos 12, 14, 16, and 18. The lower edges 36 of the photos 12, 14, 16, and 18 rest upon and are supported by the lower transverse, transparent panel 52.

[0032] The display box 10 is provided with a pair of light fixtures 58 and 60, one located at each of the upper and lower ends of the enclosure of the display box 10. Each of the light fixtures 58 and 60 has a tubular, elongated body and a pair of small light bulbs 62 located at the opposite ends of its body. The light fixtures 58 and 60 are respectively mounted in the end fixture enclosure cavities 54 and 56 and are located in mutually parallel planes. The light fixtures 58 and 60 are oriented at right angles relative to each other, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The light fixtures 58 and 60 may be secured in position within their respective fixture enclosure cavities 54 and 56 by spring clips 64 attached to the interior surfaces of the top and bottom ends 29 and 28 of the display box 10. The light fixtures 58 and 60 are wired in parallel and are connected by a common electrical cord 66 to a single conventional, alternating current electrical wall plug 68.

[0033] The length of the bodies of the electrical light fixtures 58 and 60 is at least as great as the distance between the retainer support faces 46 of the retainer core 44 so that the light bulbs 62 are located outboard from the center of the display box 10 beyond the concave centers of the photographs 12, 14, 16, and 18. As is evident from FIGS. 2 and 3 the electrical light bulbs 62 directly illuminate the concave, outwardly facing printed surfaces of the photographs 12, 14, 16, and 18 through the transparent panels 50 and 52. There is an unobstructed, direct and straight line of visual illumination by which the light bulbs 62 shine upon the outwardly facing printed surfaces of the photos 12, 14, 16, and 18 through the transparent panels 50 and 52.

[0034] Undoubtedly, numerous variations and modifications of the invention will become readily apparent to those familiar with photograph display systems. For example, while the display box 10 is of a size and configuration suitable for holding and directly illuminating photographic prints, alternative embodiments may be utilized to directly illuminate and display other types of visual material. The display box 110 illustrated in FIG. 4, for example, is constructed in essentially the same manner as the photo box 10, but has display faces 120 that are both wider and longer than the display faces 20, 22, 24, and 26. The visual material display box 110 is configured to support sheets of printed material 112 each having a width of a 8½ inches and a length of 11 inches. The visual display openings 140 defined in the display faces 120 are thereby correspondingly larger than the visual display openings 40 in the photo display box 10.

[0035] Also, the visual material display box 110 is provided with translucent, rather than transparent, upper and lower panels 150 located above and below the concave, outwardly curved upper and lower edges of the printed sheets 112. The degree of light transmission required through the panels between which the visual display sheets are located will vary, depending upon the particular application. It is only necessary for these panels to be nonopaque.

[0036] Other variations and modifications of the embodiments illustrated are also possible and are within the scope of the invention contemplated. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should not be construed as limited to the specific embodiments depicted and described, but rather is defined in the claims appended hereto. 

I claim:
 1. A display box for displaying at least one opaque sheet of visual material and having at least one display face, at least one sheet retainer for holding said opaque sheet of visual material facing concave outwardly toward said display face relative to a longitudinal axis of alignment of said sheet of visual material, and at least one light source located longitudinally beyond said sheet of visual material and between said sheet of visual material and said display face to thereby illuminate said sheet of visual material.
 2. A display box according to claim 1 further comprising an enclosure shaped in the form of a rectangular prism and defining sides forming four display faces as aforesaid, and ends extending laterally and transversely between said sides, and four of said sheets of visual material are provided, each of which is rectangular in shape having mutually parallel longitudinal edges and opposing end edges and a retainer is provided for each of said sheets of visual material and which holds said longitudinal edges of said sheets of visual material parallel to each other and at a straight line distance of spaced separation from each other less than the length of said end edges, whereby said end edges of said sheets of visual material are held in a curved condition facing concave outwardly.
 3. A display box according to claim 2 further comprising a pair of said light sources, one at each of said ends of said an enclosure, and further comprising transverse, nonopaque panels extending between said display faces and all of said end edges of said sheets of visual material.
 4. A display box according to claim 3 wherein said sheets of visual material are photographs.
 5. A display box according to claim 3 wherein each of said light sources is comprised of an electrical illumination fixture including at least one electrical light bulb.
 6. A display box according to claim 2 wherein said retainers hold said sheets of visual material at a uniform arc of curvature throughout their lengths between said ends of said enclosure.
 7. A visual material display box forming an enclosure and having at least one display face and defining orthogonal longitudinal, lateral, and transverse direction for each display face and comprising at each display face: a two-dimensional, opaque display sheet, a display sheet retainer for holding said display sheet behind said display face and for holding at least one end of said display sheet curved concave outwardly relative thereto, and further comprising at least one light source located beyond said at least one end of said at least one display sheet in said longitudinal direction and between said at least one end of said at least one display sheet and said display face in said transverse direction, whereby said light source directly illuminates said display sheet.
 8. A visual material display box according to claim 7 wherein said display sheet has a rectangular shape and said retainer is comprised of mutually parallel elements that hold said display sheet curved concave outwardly and at a uniform arc of curvature throughout its length.
 9. A visual material display box according to claim 7 wherein said display sheet has a rectangular shape with longitudinal side edges and lateral top and bottom edges, and said retainer is comprised of elements that hold said longitudinal edges of said display sheet parallel to each other and both ends of said display sheet curved concave outwardly in the same shape.
 10. A visual display box according to claim 9 further comprising a pair of said light sources, one at each of said ends of said display sheet.
 11. A visual display box according to claim 9 wherein each of said light sources is comprised of an electrical illumination fixture and a nonopaque panel located between said illumination fixture and said display sheet.
 12. A visual display box according to claim 11 wherein said nonopaque panel is transparent.
 13. A visual display box according to claim 11 wherein said nonopaque panel is translucent.
 14. A visual display box according to claim 7 wherein said opaque display sheet is a photographic print.
 15. A photographic display box comprised of an enclosure having a plurality of display faces and opposing ends, a plurality of opaque photographs each having mutually parallel longitudinal edges and end edges oriented perpendicular to said longitudinal edges and said opaque photographs are located within said enclosure and behind said display faces and have printed display surfaces facing outwardly toward said display faces, photo retainers holding said longitudinal edges of said photographs closely adjacent to said display faces and spaced apart from each other so that the distance between said the photo retainers is less than the length of said edges of said photographs, whereby said display surfaces of said photographs are bowed in a concave outwardly facing orientation, and at least one light source disposed in at least one of said ends of said enclosure beyond said longitudinal edges of said photographs and between said printed display surfaces thereof and said display faces of said enclosure, whereby said light source directly illuminates said printed display surfaces of said photographs.
 16. A photographic display box according to claim 15 further comprising a pair of said light sources, one located at each of said ends of said enclosure. 17 A photographic display box according to claim 16 wherein each of said light sources is comprised of an electrically operated light bulb and a flat, nonopaque panel located between said light bulb and said photographs and extending between said photographs and said display faces. 